No News is Good News

Yes, I'm as eager as everyone else to know what Fitzgerald is going to do. But today's delay strikes me as both a Good Thing in itself and a good sign as to the eventual outcome.

It's a Good Thing because it keeps the Plame scandal on the front page and keeps the bad guys paralyzed with fear. Moreover, after two years of steady drumbeat of conservative propaganda about no crime having been committed and no charges forthcoming, the more time the commentariat and the public have to wrap their heads around the idea of All the President's Men going to stir over burning a CIA NOC, the better.

It's a good sign (I hope and believe) because it suggests that someone might have blinked in Fitzgerald's multi-player staring contest.

Imagine, for example, that my speculation of last night is correct, and that Fizgerald's visit to Rove's lawyer yesterday was for a session of "Let's Make a Deal." In that scenario, if Luskin had said "See you in court," indictments would have been handed up today. If, instead, Luskin had said, "Let's talk about how much my guy has to give you on what other player to constitute 'substantial cooperation'," that would have been a reason for Fitzgerald to hold off while the bargaining went on. (Jeralyn Merritt has a good analysis of how weak Rove's bargaining position would be.)

Of course, it doesn't have to be Rove who decided to try to cut a last-minute deal; any of the conspirators might have done so. What's hard to imagine is a reason for delay that came up at the last minute but that doesn't mean more trouble for the potential defendants.

In the meantime, take this as an opportunity to practice the virtue of patience. In the words of that great philosopher Valentine Michael Smith, "Waiting is, until fullness."